What you want to know about Wellington’s road works

From upgrades to pipes, pavements, intersections, and public spaces, there are a lot of temporary road closures and detours across the city that are happening alongside our partners to make Wellington a better place to live, work and play. If you’re wondering what the major works are for, read on.

Golden Mile - Kent/Cambridge/Courtenay 

The right-hand turn from Cambridge Terrace into Majoribanks Street will be closed for around four months as part of the Golden Mile upgrade.

The Golden Mile, Wellington’s main retail and commercial strip, runs from the Parliament end of Lambton Quay, along Willis and Manners Streets, to the entertainment hub of Courtenay Place. 

The first programme of work started in early May and focuses on the Courtenay Place and Kent/Cambridge Terraces intersection. This includes redevelopment of the centre island to improve traffic flow, construction of new pedestrian and bike crossings, weather shelters and footpath improvements. 

What you want to know

• No right turn into Majoribanks from Cambridge Terrace 
• Left turns from Kent Terrace still open
• Detour via Wakefield > Tory > Cable > Kent Terrace 
• Want to skip the detour? Turn early at Elizabeth Street 
• Coming from Vivian Street? Pirie Street is still an option 
• Heading to Mt Vic? You can still access it via Elizabeth, Pirie, Ellice and Kent

Modernising Courtenay Place will make it a more attractive, vibrant and welcoming place. It will also make it easier and safer to get around on foot, by bus, bike or whatever way turns your wheels.

Check out the detour map on the Transport Projects website.

Wakefield Street 

Wellington Water is building a new wastewater rising main – that’s a pressurised pipe that pumps wastewater into the main network - along Wakefield Street. It will link into the existing Kent Terrace rising main and into the new Taranaki Street rising main.

This last stage of this project involves installing approximately 270m of pipe on Wakefield Street between Tory Street and Kent Terrace and approximately 50m of pipe on Chaffers Street between Wakefield Street and Pump Station 4, located at the Chaffers Street entrance to the New World car park. 

There are three elements to the Wakefield Street project and the recent work on Chaffers Street: the slip lane; Wakefield Street itself and Chaffers Street.

What you want to know

The slip lane

• The slip lane is currently open. It will be closed again in early June to allow for the new rising main to be connected to the existing rising main.
• Traffic advice: Continue along Kent Terrace and either use the turning bay by the Welsh Dragon Bar, turn into Courtenay Place or continue along Kent Terrace to the Basin Reserve.

Wakefield Street

• Wakefield Street is operating with two open lanes and will continue to do so regardless of the slip lane/Chaffers Street closures. 
  

Chaffers Street

• Chaffers Street is still closed at the Wakefield Street intersection along to the entrance to the New World carpark, this will continue until late June or early July.  
• Traffic advice: Continue along Wakefield Street and detour along Tory Street and onto Cable Street. Then enter New World from the Chaffers Street entrance.

Thorndon Quay

The work under way on Thorndon Quay is part of connecting our northern suburbs through to the city, making it safer and easier for more people to walk, bike, scoot or use public transport. 

Construction started in late 2023 and is expected to be complete mid-July this year.

To make it easier for more people to use low carbon transport options to travel in this area, we're making changes including:

• Peak hour bus lanes in both directions to improve bus travel times
• A two-way bike path on the sea-side of the route to avoid intersections and the bus interchange
• Five signalised pedestrian/bike crossings, two of which will be raised
• Improved lighting and planting, along with cultural design elements to recognise mana whenua and the location of awa
• Fewer parks along the route to make space for the bus lane, as well as changes in some parking time restrictions.

What you want to know

Bunny Street intersection to Mulgrave Street

• Night works to install cycleway separators, surface the cycleway and install traffic islands scheduled for late May.
  

Mulgrave Street intersection

• Day works to upgrade the signalised intersection are underway.

Davis Street to Sebel Hotel

• Works to install the new signalised crossing is scheduled to finish in May. Installation of cycleway separators cycleway surfacing will also be completed in late May.

Wanting to keep up with projects across the city?

There are different ways you can get information about road closures and construction works in the city. Check out our road closures web page, or follow us through our social media channels.

You can also keep an eye on the Golden Mile project and Thorndon Quay project on the transport projects website, and head to Wellington Water to find out more about Wakefield Street.